Jared Diamond - How Do Brains Act?

Brains are the most complex organization of matter in the universe (as far as we know). What astonishing capacities are backed into such a small volume of warm, wet tissue—roughly three pounds, less than an average cantaloupe. What are the basic principles of brain function? How do they work together to give us a sense of integration not confusion?



Jared Mason Diamond is an American scientist and author best known for his popular science books The Third Chimpanzee (1991), Guns, Germs, and Steel (1997), and Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed (2005).


Closer to Truth, hosted by Robert Lawrence Kuhn and directed by Peter Getzels, presents the world’s greatest thinkers exploring humanity’s deepest questions. Discover fundamental issues of existence. Engage new and diverse ways of thinking. Appreciate intense debates. Share your own opinions. Seek your own answers.

[nowhereman]

Refreshing that we have this quality of information on the internet, thank you Robert, and also thank you for having one of my intellectual hero, Jared Diamond. This man changed my perspective of the world by enlarging my understanding of both prehistory and history. Kudos to you both

[alfreddaniels]

This conversation typically shows Diamonds tendency to dominate behaviorally while he lacks the ability to come up with a scientific methodological reflexion on the questions that were posed.

[iramkumar]

Javadi said the conclusions he draws from recent studies is that "when people use tools such as GPS, they tend to engage less with navigation. Therefore, brain area responsible for navigation is less used, and consequently their brain areas involved in navigation tend to shrink.

[MaloPiloto]

Excellent presentation on a fascinating topic!

[matishakabdullah]

Brain size is individual thing but each and every species is a community being. Human kind is a special being with ability to accumulate and transfer information. Accumulations and sharing of individual speciality knowledge that leads to human communal development and civilization.

[Bill..N]

Jared is a pleasure to listen to and in my opinion almost certainly correct about the general connection of language and our superiority over the neanderthal.. A SMALL nuance though, we didn't entirely wipe them out of existence as suggested, interbreeding occurred between Homo sapiens and neanderthal, with a net result that roughly two percent of OUR genetics (Averaged) IS neanderthal. Certain Survival advantages are theorized to exist as a result, and a couple disadvantages as well .Thanks.

[iramkumar]

Nice to see you at last Jared. Loved Guns, Germs and Steel, Why is Sex Fun, and Collapse. Geographical determinism is a refreshing perspective rather than just history.

[dwpix]

How can you say that the human brain is “The highest and most complicated organization of matter in the universe” ?

You could say of this world.
You could even possibly say “of what we have seen in our very limited knowledge of the universe” (realizing that we have not had any real opportunity to scan the universe for examples of complex organic material.)
-but of the universe?

[weshard]

I think too much is made of vervet monkey ‘language’, and it is largely anthropomorphising on the part of ethologists of a certain hermeneutic.
They are certainly communicating, but though a bottom-up process that lacks intention, or even conscious awareness, as with other ‘alarm calls’ in the animal kingdom.
No doubt that Jared Diamond is of a similar view, but feel this gets lost on many people when the example is brought up during discussions like these, and in general science writing.

[rc]

Artificial intelligence seems to have the capacity to surpass our brain, at least in some narrow task activities at the moment... how do we explain the fact that brain is trying to build a better version of its biological type which will definitely be at a much advanced and superior level?

[francesco]

ty ... we didnt catch that by ourselves ... -.-

[chyfields]

These sorts of questions often seem best answered if you begin with the assumption that each life form was created, by design, for a purpose.

[ChuckBrowntheClown]

See if you stay domesticated and not get out and experience things like prayer and fasting. Then what do you learn, how do you grow?

[Clancydaenlightened]

Couldn't you consider the Brain as a biological relativistic computer, in other terms a biological quantum computer, as they can be programmed but with unpredictable results

[ChuckBrowntheClown]

DOMESTICATE, v.t.
1. To make domestic; to retire from the public; to accustom to remain much at home; as, to domesticate ones self.
2. To make familiar, as if at home.
3. To accustom to live near the habitations of man; to tame; as, to domesticate wild animals.

[ChuckBrowntheClown]

Like the word of God said brain's act as in the way that they're trained up. Train up a child in the way that they should go.

[Dion_Mustard]

neuroscience will never explain consciousness because consciousness is more than brain.

[hamburgerlord]

If Everyone on Earth stopped thinking at the same time (unconscious) I wonder if life would cease to exist??? It might crash the similation

[soubhikmukherjee]

What's the origin of human rationality?? I wonder !!

[owencampbell]

The brain is a city, well functioning or not. We have to understand the complexity of a city to get close to the complexity of a brain.
Consciousness is like a radio station that reaches out to the residents with present informations but also gathered informations.
What people can't imagine is the importance of an electrician fixing the blackout on a building. This individuals in the brain are just a grain with such importance to the functions of particular regions.
And if we know how a city works then you are close to understand a brain.